Not Alone Anymore
by Nagarox1234
Summary: When Toboe asks what it means to be alone,Toboe and Tsume have a talk under the moonlight. I do not own Wolf's Rain.


Toboe awoke, gazing around at his friends, who were all still asleep. It was still the middle of the night, the moonlight spilling down on the five of them, making enough light to see everything. Tsume was curled up peacefully, his head resting gently on his paws, his light grey fur sparkling silver in the dazzling light. He looked so peaceful in sleep, his face seemed to lose some of its anger, replacing it with child-like innocence. Toboe thought he looked better that way.

Hige was on his back, snoring quietly. His leather collar askew, drool collecting in the corners of his mouth, golden fur matted with grass and dirt as he moved in his sleep. He looked similar to he did when he was awake, there was a faint smile on his face, as though he was laughing in his dream. That, or he was dreaming about girls. Toboe giggled a bit at his own joke, freezing when Hige muttered and rolled over in his sleep.

He walked over to sit by Kiba and Cheza, paws padding softly in the wet grass. Kiba was curled protectively around Cheza, his white fur serving as a soft blanket. Cheza had an arm around him, hugging him, burying her face in his fur. They looked so happy together, they looked more like siblings than just simple friends. He smiled at their happiness, when they were happy, it pleased him. They were like his family after all, the ones who cared for him. Well, actually Granny had been his family. The smile faded from his face as he thought of her. Granny. The one who took him in as a pup, fed him, bathed him, petted him, loved him, and how did he repay her? By killing her.

His eyes filled with tears of sadness and guilt, he stepped away from Kiba and the others. He shouldn't be anyones family, he didn't deserve it. He was a mess-up. He would drag them down, he would keep them from achieving their goals. The tears he had been trying to hold in overflowed, spilling down his face and into his rusty-red fur. He hiccuped, though he didn't mean to, he didn't want to wake anyone else. He started to run away, running away from his own guilt. He tripped and stumbled, splaying on the ground. He cried harder, tears dripping as he crawled to his feet. He sat back down almost instantly, he just wanted to be alone for a little while. He gazed at the moon through his tears. It was so beautiful. He wanted to be like that. Flawless and perfect and pure.

Tsume woke from his deep sleep, shaking his head, eyes still blurry from sleep. He growled, frustrated at being woken. He noticed someones shadow, farther away from the rest of them. He tensed, preparing to fight if it came down to it. Suddenly, he realized Toboe was gone. He looked back up at the shadow and realized it was him. He relaxed and prepared to go back to sleep, stopping when he heard a faint noise coming from Toboe. A sob. He stood back up hesitantly, he wasn't sure if he wanted to be involved in the kids problem, whatever it was. His softness got the better of him and he padded over to the kid.

"What's with the tears runt?" He grumbled as he sat down next to Toboe, causing the younger wolf to jump. Toboe sniffed and brushed some of the tears off his fur. "N-Nothing" Tsume rolled his eyes, the kid was trying to be all tough. Like him. Toboe shouldn't be like him, it wasn't in his nature.

"Don't lie to me runt. What's going on?" he growled again, he was doing the pup a favor. Toboe looked him with big doe eyes filled with tears, Tsume internally sighed at the pups saddening display.

"Tsume, can I ask you something?" Tsume raised an eyebrow, what did the runt want to know. Oh well, he was still a kid after all and an innocent one at that, he had nothing to worry about.

"What?"

"Do you mind being alone?" Tsume sat silently for a moment pondering the pups question. Ever since the death of his family and his banishment, he had never really had friends and that had never really bothered him. But when he met these three, everything had changed, became distorted. He had joined the pack for survival, he had always told himself that. But looking at the little red wolf, he was having trouble believing that himself. He sighed and looked at Toboe.

"When you're older, you'll understand why you sometimes have to be alone."

"Why?"

"Look, sometimes it's better to be alone." He spoke bitterly, speaking from years of rejection and loss that boiled forward. Toboe sat silently, thinking about Tsumes answer. Why was Tsume always alone? Did he like it that way? He finally broke the silence, speaking quietly.

"You don't have to be alone Tsume. I could be your friend." He looked down at his paws as he spoke, scared to look Tsume directly in the eye. Tsumes eyes widened, shocked by Toboes answer. He sat in an awkward silence, unsure what to do or say. He eventually reached out and gently nudged the smaller wolf with his paw.

"Thanks runt." He said with a faint smile on his face. Toboe smiled back, though a much larger smile than Tsumes. Tsume then stood up, walking back to the rest of the group.

"I'm going to sleep. Come back when you're ready." He then curled back up on the ground, closing his eyes. Toboe smiled lightly before turning back to look at the moon. Perhaps, he thought, Tsume doesn't want to be alone anymore.


End file.
